Even a decent man like Tubby Smith can't see hypocrisy in reining in transfers

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In a perfect world - here's the rule I'd like to have: If a coach leaves a school for another job before his contract was up, all the players on his former school should be free to transfer. Let's face it - the vast majority of D1 athletes make their choice based on the head coach (or in FB, maybe the coordinators). If the coach can up and leave without honoring his commitments, then the players should be free to leave, too.

Of course, in the real world, this would be unworkable. Every time a coach went "job-jumping," you'd create a group of 'free agents' who could follow the coach to his new job, or offer their services to "the highest bidder," so to speak. You'd have to institute a whole new set of rules, and probably some type of time period or window in which to transfer. Otherwise, the school that Coach X just left could find itself without enough players to field a team - and the new coach would have to go out and try to sign some 'free agents' from another school.

Still, I think the players are getting the short end of the deal. The coach can sign shoe contracts, hold camps and rake in all types of outside income, but the players, who generate all that revenue, can't get a dime.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
In a perfect world - here's the rule I'd like to have: If a coach leaves a school for another job before his contract was up, all the players on his former school should be free to transfer. Let's face it - the vast majority of D1 athletes make their choice based on the head coach (or in FB, maybe the coordinators). If the coach can up and leave without honoring his commitments, then the players should be free to leave, too.

Of course, in the real world, this would be unworkable. Every time a coach went "job-jumping," you'd create a group of 'free agents' who could follow the coach to his new job, or offer their services to "the highest bidder," so to speak. You'd have to institute a whole new set of rules, and probably some type of time period or window in which to transfer. Otherwise, the school that Coach X just left could find itself without enough players to field a team - and the new coach would have to go out and try to sign some 'free agents' from another school.

Still, I think the players are getting the short end of the deal. The coach can sign shoe contracts, hold camps and rake in all types of outside income, but the players, who generate all that revenue, can't get a dime.
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They're college students, not pro athletes.
 

Tubby's response was crass and he has to work on his communication skills, but his point is not unfounded. If college basketball is about an education, perhaps a debatable point especially on the high major level, then the situation is different for players and coaches. The Bo Ryan's of the world look petty in the way they treat a transfer, but giving carte blanche to players to transfer (e.g. if a coach leaves, they automatically get to leave) or just up and leave almost any time, would create chaos in the system, leaving schools with depleted rosters on a regular basis. For as much as this can be about the money, MOST schools do not make money on their athletic programs, and the players are benefitting with a free college education. That is nothing to sneeze in these days of crippling student loans.

While some players get hosed by petty people like Bo Ryan, most do not. Changing the rules because of a few high profile transfer problems will bring a lot of unintended consequences. If people want to bark about the rules, the one they really should bark about is coaches running off players in coaching changes or other situations. If players get a raw deal in the system, that is the place. If they have honored their end of the deal and want to stay, they should be able to stay, play and complete their education. Larry Brown is a complete slime ball for what he did at SMU, and that needs to be stopped.

Transfers are allowed and should be. There a lot of good reasons for a kids to transfer. But "making it easier" will help almost no one, and hurt a lot more. The system now allows it with the kid accepting an imposed penalty of not playing for a year. It seems like a good middle ground that will prevent implusive decision making in most cases. Headline cases rarely make a sound basis for changing the rules, and this is another on that list.
 

I think they should just turn it around on the coaches. If you leave for another job, you have to sit out a year. No game coaching, only practice coaching. They shouldn't complain as they are still getting paid.
 


Tubby's response is either wishful thinking, or he doesn't prioritize having an elite basketball team. While players at the majority of this country's D-1 bb players (at, e.g., the 250 or so mid-major programs) might be there for education first, many if not most of the freshmen entering his own conference are doing so as much (if not more) for basketball. Like it or not, major college bb is the NBA's farm system and that's pretty much here to stay.
 

WanderingGopher said:
Tubby's response is either wishful thinking, or he doesn't prioritize having an elite basketball team. While players at the majority of this country's D-1 bb players (at, e.g., the 250 or so mid-major programs) might be there for education first, many if not most of the freshmen entering his own conference are doing so as much (if not more) for basketball. Like it or not, major college bb is the NBA's farm system and that's pretty much here to stay.
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A very small % of major colllege bb players make it to the NBA. Not much of a farm system. I personally see the hypocrisy, but I can see the other side as well. An adult leaving a job for another is life..thats what many of us have done in our own professions. However, a college student getting a free ride to play hoops is a bit different, especially when the vast majority will never play professional ball, major conference or minor conference player included; thus they need a fallback education..which they are getting for free. Buck up players..life is about earning it, putting in hard work to earn the right to get a better job. Don't tell me the kid has worked hard at hoops his whole life thus he/she has earned the same rights. Bull crap. I remember getting hired by a large company after earning my MBA. The guy who convinced me to accept the offer (my initial boss) quit about 3 months into my job. Guess what, I could have quit..but I figured I would stick it out..a life lesson..lesson being, life is not always fair but its usually pretty darn okay. Besides, other than a degree..I hadn't really done much to earn the right to complain.

This all said, I personally think there is a middle ground. There should not be lame restrictions on where you go, but sitting out a year seems approriate. I hate what Bo did, and what Tubby did to Colton.

I am probably in the minority on this topic.
 

Rouser said:
A very small % of major colllege bb players make it to the NBA. Not much of a farm system. I personally see the hypocrisy, but I can see the other side as well. An adult leaving a job for another is life..thats what many of us have done in our own professions. However, a college student getting a free ride to play hoops is a bit different, especially when the vast majority will never play professional ball, major conference or minor conference player included; thus they need a fallback education..which they are getting for free. Buck up players..life is about earning it, putting in hard work to earn the right to get a better job. Don't tell me the kid has worked hard at hoops his whole life thus he/she has earned the same rights. Bull crap. I remember getting hired by a large company after earning my MBA. The guy who convinced me to accept the offer (my initial boss) quit about 3 months into my job. Guess what, I could have quit..but I figured I would stick it out..a life lesson..lesson being, life is not always fair but its usually pretty darn okay. Besides, other than a degree..I hadn't really done much to earn the right to complain.

This all said, I personally think there is a middle ground. There should not be lame restrictions on where you go, but sitting out a year seems approriate. I hate what Bo did, and what Tubby did to Colton.

I am probably in the minority on this topic.
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What % of minor league baseball players make to the big club. I'm sure that is also a small number.

I think everyone agrees D1 FB and BB have taken on much more of a professional(or semi-professional) nature.

The question now is; should the colleges admit the athletes are at least semi-pros (and proceed along those lines) or should the colleges reverse course and go back to more of student-athlete role.
 

Rouser said:
A very small % of major colllege bb players make it to the NBA. Not much of a farm system. I personally see the hypocrisy, but I can see the other side as well. An adult leaving a job for another is life..thats what many of us have done in our own professions. However, a college student getting a free ride to play hoops is a bit different, especially when the vast majority will never play professional ball, major conference or minor conference player included; thus they need a fallback education..which they are getting for free. Buck up players..life is about earning it, putting in hard work to earn the right to get a better job. Don't tell me the kid has worked hard at hoops his whole life thus he/she has earned the same rights. Bull crap. I remember getting hired by a large company after earning my MBA. The guy who convinced me to accept the offer (my initial boss) quit about 3 months into my job. Guess what, I could have quit..but I figured I would stick it out..a life lesson..lesson being, life is not always fair but its usually pretty darn okay. Besides, other than a degree..I hadn't really done much to earn the right to complain.

This all said, I personally think there is a middle ground. There should not be lame restrictions on where you go, but sitting out a year seems approriate. I hate what Bo did, and what Tubby did to Colton.

I am probably in the minority on this topic.
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I agree with this completely.

I'd also add the question, how many of you make the same salary / get all the same perks as the CEO of the company you work?
 



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